On the one hand, Shakespeare creates a world of proliferating corruption within Elsinore. At the very head of the state is Claudius, a king who committed fratricide in order to gain the throne; this, coupled with the image of poison that surrounds him, constructs him as the physical manifestation of corruption within the state, someone who has sullied the name of Denmark through such corrupt methods. Imagery of surveillance pervades the play, with Polonius as an embodiment of the merciless spying techniques through the sacrificing of his own daughter's happiness to uncover information. Every prominent character is somehow involved in it, either executing it or falling victim to it. Hamlet is spied on Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, but also uses the play-within-the-play to "catch the conscience of the king". Laertes is followed to Paris by Reynaldo, whom Polonius sends to ensure his son does not get involved in any "scandal".
The extortionate levels of death at the end of the play could also be argued as a representation of the corruption within the state. Even the most innocent characters, Ophelia and Laertes, are murdered. Many directions, such as the 2016 RSC production, choose to have the final image of the play as a stage littered with bloody bodies to emphasise the destruction that Claudius' rule has led to.
That being said, the character of Hamlet could be viewed as a symbol of hope within the "rotten (...) state of Denmark". Throughout the play, he strives for honesty as he attempts to expose Claudius' manipulation and wrongdoing. His hesitance to fulfil the Ghost's "commandment" is revealed through his many soliloquies and highlights his conscience, suggesting he is a fundamentally morally good character. Moreover, despite his employment of the actors as spies, his intention nonetheless is to rid Elsinore of Claudius and thus the corruption within it, further constructing him as the antithesis to the corruption itself. His death in the final scene is described by those around him with religious imagery ("angels sing thee to thy rest") creates a final image of Hamlet as a pure and moral agent.
Ultimately, despite the corruption within Denmark which Shakespeare builds up throughout the play, he constructs the character of Hamlet as a small redemption against the evils taking place.
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